Honor Born, Honor Bound
by Eternity can wait
Summary: As the Titans adjust to life with Raven's eccentric new freind, Starfire, Raven and Robin begin an investigation into his hidden past. At the same time, a new enemy has set his master's plans in motion. His target: Raven. (Seq to Of Shadow and Flame)
1. Recitation

Honor Born, Honor Bound

Chapter One: Recitation

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I don't even have a share in Warner Brother's or DC Comic's stock, so don't sue me if something shows up here that unintentionally matches the comics, or somebody else's ideas. Also, the whole real scenario here is mine, as well as all the new characters I bring in.

Author's note: For those of you who are reading this without reading Of Shadow and Flame, STOP! Go back and read it, or else you'll be lost! One directly feeds into the other! Other than that, constructive criticism is, of course, still greatly appreciated.

-

* * *

"In times long before the birth of life, before the time of golden grace, the forces of reality struggled with each other over the realms of pre-birth..." Raven sighed and looked up from her translation.

Falchion had a wide grin on his face as he wiped off the counter.

"Well? How far off am I?" Raven asked in annoyance.

"Well, you've got the basic meaning...sort of. Really I'm rather impressed you learned this much in a week," Falchion said, smirking. "Now read it aloud in the old tongue."

Raven shuddered. No matter how hard she tried, there were only three words she could say in the old tongue: Azerath Metrion Zinthos. Anything else gave her the chills and made her feel unclean, or unwanted, or just generally uncomfortable; it depended on what she was trying to say.

"Vorenki shauo raeikien morutsi myung, akremanyi," Raven read through clenched teeth. "Gonryu funriunq vond shoumangu kitse..." Raven shook her head and closed her eyes. This poem made her feel terribly cold, like she really was in the time before life, or whenever mortusi really meant.

"Heh, not bad. But if you're going to speak this language, you'll need an accent," Falchion said, smiling broadly as he switched to a broom and started sweeping the kitchen area. "And don't abuse the privilege of speaking the language; don't forget how powerful it is, especially with names."

"I know. My powers stem from the old tongue, after all," Raven said defensively. "I'm not a fool."

"Then why aren't you speaking the whole language the same way as you say the Shadow chant?" Falchion said reproachfully, raising an eyebrow and pointing the broom accusingly. "It would be much more amusing."

Raven stared at him like he was mad; speak the language from her soul? That was ridiculous! She'd be creating everything she said!

"Um, excuse me, but would either of you have perhaps seen Robin?" Starfire asked as she walked into the room. She had that slightly worried look on her face that meant she wanted someone to talk with about something delicate. Raven chalked it up to being too feminine.

"I think he's in the garden, actually," Falchion answered kindly, smiling broadly. "I made a few suggestions for improvements and he took it personally." Starfire was taken aback; for some reason Raven couldn't fathom, she didn't trust Falchion at all, and even less when he separated Robin from her.

"Oh. Then, perhaps, you would like to meditate with me, Friend?" Starfire said, turning to Raven. "Or perhaps read?"

Raven sighed and closed the immense Demonology book Falchion had lent her.

"Might as well. I'm burned out on books for the moment," Raven said as she stood up. "Come on, we'll use my room. I think Falchion's getting ready to vacuum."

Falchion cracked a smile at them as they left, and he was indeed getting out the vacuum cleaner.

"Why must he always keep everything in such a state of clean-ness?" Starfire asked distrustfully, narrowing her eyes. "He does not act like other earth people."

Raven shrugged and shook her head. She'd asked him about his obsession with cleanliness, but he'd just said he was a clean freak. It certainly hadn't shown in the shop, though.

They slipped inside Raven's room, the one place in the tower Falchion didn't seem interested in cleaning. It was a good thing, too; Raven had all her books piled on the floor in just the right way for her research, and the slightest disturbance would undo all her sorting.

Starfire turned out to be a disturbance.

The first thing Starfire did was to accidentally knock over one of the teetering piles of books; the second was to try to catch it and in the process knocked down half of the rest. She gave a nervous series of laughs and smiled

Raven ground her teeth and pointed to the bed, her whole body shaking slightly.

"Just go over there," Raven said crossly as she levitated her books up and started sorting them. "I'll be with you in a second."

Starfire obediently flew over to the bed and carefully took a seat in the air above it, looking very sorry. Raven looked at Starfire's overly emotional, down turned eyes and realized that she had no intention of meditating.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked, dropping her remaining books and joining Starfire above the bed.

"It's...Falchion. Those eyes, and his smile, and the cleaning he does and how little we know about him..." Starfire said urgently, a bit too quickly. "And his powers, and the way he gets us to do things for him..."

"Hold on, one thing at a time. The eyes I can agree with. I shiver just thinking about them. But what's wrong with his smile?" Raven said quietly, gesturing for Starfire to calm down.

"It is...well, not fake exactly, there is kindness in it, but no joy. It's like he has to strain against pain and anger to smile, and it just isn't right," Starfire explained, looking down. "I see sorrow in his face every time he stops smiling, and it never really goes away."

Raven looked at her for a moment; of course what Starfire had said was true, Falchion did have that tragic look to him, but Raven had taken it as just the way he was. It certainly wasn't her business nosing into his affairs.

"I wish to look in his room," Starfire said suddenly. Raven swayed in the air at that and stared at her friend in disbelief.

"Don't be ridiculous! I don't even know what half the symbols on that door mean and the other half tell me that it's extremely dangerous to open it, especially, if you don't know what the rest says!" Raven explained in as urgent a tone as she could with out straying from her monotone entirely. "If you can get Falchion to agree, fine. Otherwise, I'll rat you out if you even move for it."

Starfire stared at Raven for a moment, startled. She'd never gotten such a fierce reaction from her friend before. Unless, of course, you counted accidentally blowing up the refrigerator.

"Is he so dangerous?" Starfire asked, startled. Raven pulled down her hood and dimly remembered that Starfire had never actually seen Falchion fight yet.

"Just don't go into the room," Raven said quietly. "He might have something dangerous in there, anyway."

"Okay. But is there not somewhere else we can look for clues about him?" Starfire asked, looking up. "Perhaps the shop?"

"Yes, of course. I still need to get my dress back from my apartment, anyways," Raven said calmly, levitating upright. "But not right now. We'll go tomorrow, before Falchion's up. Besides, it's time for afternoon training."

"Yes," Starfire said quietly, levitating towards the door, then brightening up. "Perhaps Robin can help?"

Raven shrugged and followed her friend. Training was a bother now; before she'd left she'd had too much power, but now she used up so much energy working with the old tongue that she had trouble lifting any more than a ton or so. That could be trouble if they had to fight, but for the most part super villains seemed to be laying low. The media was keeping them scared stiff with exaggerated reports about Falchion. Or at least, Raven hoped they were exaggerated. For all she knew, he might be as fast as the Flash and as ruthless as Batman, but it seemed unlikely.

She walked into the practice room several minutes late and the others had already started. Raven trudged across the room to her position, catching a mildly annoyed and slightly inquisitive glance from Robin as she took her position.

Falchion chose that moment to walk across the room and lean against the wall behind Raven. She faltered slightly at that, because she'd completely missed him earlier. It was strange; normally even someone that had carefully concealed themselves were easy to find by their energy, but Falchion escaped this somehow.

She started up the training program and began making barriers in an almost routine way to block the blasts coming at her. It was practically boring to her mind, though her body was obviously getting a good work out dodging the annoying little hover blasters circling her. It wasn't hard to block them, or to catch them and send them hurtling into the ones next to it, but it was, in a way, good practice.

"Isn't that too little?" Falchion called to her from his position along the wall. "You aren't trying at all."

Raven stared at him for a moment as she blocked several more of the annoying little blasters. He had a point; she probably could have carried on a conversation during this training.

She didn't have the option to do so; Falchion had wandered off to watch Robin sparring a Titan robot.

Robin was sparring a combat robot at the moment; beating it to pieces, actually. It was much too slow for him.

"Perhaps you'd like to try a living opponent?" Falchion said coolly, cocking his head to one side. "You might learn something new instead of repeating the same thing over and over again."

Robin spared him a glance and frowned; the machine _was_ quite predictable. Unless he tried something risky it was really nothing more than a mild workout.

"Sure, why not. I've been wanting to see what you can do," Robin said calmly, turning off the robot program. "Want a full match or just hand to hand?"

"You may do as you please," Falchion said calmly as he walked about to face Robin. "I will fight as your style demands."

Robin was interested now; the only other person that had suggested fighting like this was a young man Robin had met in Korea on his training escapades. He decided that he'd save his weapons unless Falchion forced him to use them.

The two bowed courteously and Robin leapt into the air, aiming an excellent front kick for Falchion's head. Falchion caught his foot with little effort and tipped his head back to avoid the second kick Robin sent toward his head. Falchion dropped him and hopped back to avoid the third kick Robin launched as soon as he landed.

The other Titans were watching now; Cyborg had stopped halfway through bench-pressing a couple tons to watch the match.

Fifteen minutes later Robin switched to weapons; he just wasn't going to hit Falchion without them.

It didn't help much.

The birderangs were a joke; Falchion caught them like leaves. The exploding disks made him move more, but didn't come any closer to hitting him; The Bo staff made the biggest difference, though. It extended his reach enough to limit Falchion's movements, which gave Robin an idea.

Robin shoved off the staff and launched toward Falchion with a sidekick. As expected, Falchion hopped to the side. Robin smirked and planted his free hand on the ground, whipping his body and staff around for a follow up attack.

There was nothing Falchion could do to avoid it; he was still in mid air. Falchion caught the staff and skidded six feet along the ground.

Robin smirked. Falchion raised an eyebrow and let go of the staff.

"I'm impressed. Most people take days to figure out the flaw," Falchion said coolly. "Tell me, when did you first realize I had a gap in my style?"

"Right away. I just had some trouble finding out how to use it," Robin said coolly. "You're strong, but not unbeatable."

Falchion smiled and strode out of the room.

-

* * *

Robin played the movie back again. He'd spent the last half hour going over his fight with Falchion and he still couldn't figure out quite what was bothering him. Obviously, Falchion had been toying with him, but what really annoyed him was that he'd given up. There was no way that Falchion failed that one time when he'd always had a way out before, even if it was an unorthodox attack.

And that was it, of course. Robin stopped the movie and looked at Falchion's form. Yes, it certainly wasn't a technique he'd seen before, and what a technique it was! It seemed to be a way of perfectly gauging your opponent, but it lacked any offensive movements. Or at least, Falchion hadn't used any.

It was really annoying trying to find anything about Falchion, as well. He simply didn't exist in any of the records Robin had access to and the few video clips they had of him didn't help. Certainly his strength and speed surpassed Robin's, and his fighting technique was impressive, but Robin had a hunch that Falchion was holding back the majority of his powers. Raven had told them about the scrolls, but that didn't seem to fit with his personality. Falchion wasn't one to depend on a piece of paper to protect his life.

Robin played the end of the fight again and watched Falchion's face carefully. The only emotion Robin could see on that face was pure amusement.

-

* * *

Author's note: All right, before anyone says it, I meant for Starfire to say Clean-ness instead of cleanliness. This chapter crammed in a lot of stuff real quick, but the rest of the fic should be okay. As you've probably noticed, I'm going to be using two perspectives most of the time: Robin and Raven.

Character Talk

Robin: He's still got the benefit of the doubt.

Starfire: But I do not trust him.

Raven: who are we talking about?

Falchion: They're talking about me.

Robin: No.

Falchion: Then who?

Starfire: The author.

Me: Hey! I don't talk about you that way!

Starfire: But you don't have a reason to doubt what we do; you know everything before it happens.

Me: So? That doesn't mean you have to say I'm untrustworthy! I'm in the BSA after all.

Robin: That's why we don't trust you. Boy Scouts make up some of the most embarrassing skits in the world. We don't want that happening to us!

Falchion: Well, Since this isn't going anywhere…next episode, The Vanishing Shop! Don't miss it!

Me: Oh that does it! You guys just earned yourselves a horrific fate! I'm talking unlimited humiliation here…


	2. Gone

Honor Born, Honor Bound

Chapter two: Gone

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I don't even have a share in Warner Brother's or DC Comic's stock, so don't sue me if something shows up here that unintentionally matches the comics, or somebody else's ideas. Also, the whole real scenario here is mine, as well as all the new characters I bring in.

Author's note: All right, this chapter should complicate things a bit. You'll either hate me for bringing up more questions or love me for answering others…oh wait, I don't answer any questions, do I? As always, constructive criticism is appreciated, especially is I'm messing up the characters (Character Talk not included)

-

* * *

Raven turned the page slowly, staring at the words blankly. No matter how hard she tried, there were some words that always eluded her. Kangju, Somreki, and Dracimer all seemed to be very important words, but the text around them didn't so much as hint at what they meant. Raven knew Kanju had something to do with Falchion's brand of magic, but it seemed to be much more than a simple activation word.

"Where is it… once more?" Starfire asked, tearing Raven away from her book and pulling her back to the task at hand. It was remarkable how much more reading she got done when she didn't have to concentrate on flying; in fact, Raven was flying faster than usual.

"We're going the right way, Starfire. I'll tell you when we get there," Raven said dully. She'd already told the alien twice, and she was fairly certain Starfire was merely being overly anxious again. The Tamaranian had an excellent memory, except when she felt that she was somehow doing something wrong. Raven heard Starfire's thoughts confirm her own; she was concerned about Robin for some reason. Overly Possessive Alien Syndrome, Beast Boy had called it.

Raven almost dropped her book in horror. What had she just done? She'd snatched a thought out of Starfire's head, not only without permission, but without even trying! Raven needed to work off her excess energy before she did it again.

She didn't have a chance, though. They were almost on top of Raven's apartment before she signaled the Tamaranian to stop.

"I have to get something. Do you mind checking out the shop alone?" Raven asked as the two landed on the ground outside her apartment.

"It is just across that street, correct?" Starfire asked sweetly, gesturing towards the half obscured street. The outcroppings of the apartment building itself made up that annoying alleyway where Raven had first seen Falchion fight.

Raven nodded and headed up to her apartment. She popped the lock open with little effort, collected her dress, and strode back out, re-locking the door behind her with a flick of her finger. Raven did not wish to look back on this particular chapter of her life. Funny, it seemed like she felt that way about _most_ of her life, or what of it she remembered, at least.

Starfire was looking rather confused when Raven joined her in the street.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked, looking from Starfire to the spot where the shop should have been.

"Where is it?" Starfire asked quietly, looking about. The lot where the shop had stood was empty, and looked as if it had been so for years. Raven flew to the spot where the counter had been; there was a stunted weed there now. Raven looked about, annoyance pouring off her, searching for what should have been a fairly new building. Everything about the place suggested it was a vacant lot and had been so for years.

"What's going on?" Raven asked, more to herself than anyone else. "The shop should be here. Could he have moved it somehow? Or was it all just an illusion?"

"How could one simply move a building without anyone noticing? Surely someone around here must know what happened," Starfire suggested hopefully. Raven shrugged and the two flew to the nearest building.

The man in the doorway was less than thrilled to see them. He was probably an ex-convict that had had a run in with Cyborg, by the look of his left jaw. It was shaped a little like four knuckles.

"Excuse us, but could you tell us…" Starfire started, politely as usual. Raven clearly saw that politeness wasn't needed here and cut Starfire off.

"Was there a magic shop next door last week or not?" Raven said coldly. The man looked at her spitefully. Raven's eye twitched and the wall behind the man cracked.

"No," he said gruffly and slammed the door shut. Raven turned around, seemingly unaware that her powers were blowing out the man's windows.

"What a fool," Raven said as she walked away from the house. "You and Robin saw the shop, and I practically lived in it for over a month. The fool just doesn't care what goes on around him."

"Are you not reacting too harshly? Could he not have somehow been blind to it?" Starfire asked uneasily. Raven had never reacted like this. It rather reminded Starfire of how she acted when another girl looked at Robin.

Raven nearly fizzed at the last thought she got from Starfire. The very idea of her acting that irrationally made her calm down.

"Come on. I know there's at least two people around here that should know about the shop," Raven said coldly as she levitated. It wouldn't take long to find the little boy that had delivered that letter from Glasses several weeks ago now that her powers were operating on a higher level.

-

* * *

Robin's left eye twitched uncontrollably. The tracking device he'd placed on Falchion had somehow managed to get on Cyborg instead.

"Cyborg, is there a tracking device on your right arm?" Robin asked quietly, turning to look at his friend.

"Huh?" Cyborg said dumbly. He was in the middle of a game with Beast Boy and only spared a glance to check.

"How'd it get there?" Robin asked, reaching out and taking the tracker off Cyborg. "It should have been on Falchion."

"Really? Maybe it rubbed off on me when I was talking to him about my car," Cyborg suggested, finally pausing the game.

"How could it get from his collar to your arm if you were talking to him about your car?" Robin asked angrily.

"Well, you know, things can get kinda wild when you're talking about your car and he seemed to like it and all," Cyborg explained happily. "I might've slapped him on the back a few times for commenting on the hydraulics and plasma canon, or maybe it was…"

"All right, I get it!" Robin said, sighing. It'd taken him the better part of two hours of leaping and dodging to get that tracker on Falchion and Cyborg had succeeded in removing it in a few minutes.

Robin pulled out his communicator and paused. Normally he'd check in with Raven in an investigation, but taking into account her personal connection to this one, it didn't seem wise. He called Starfire instead.

"Yes?" Starfire said quickly, pulling out the communicator. She and Raven had separated to search for the boy, and so far she hadn't found anyone younger than herself.

"How's the investigation on the shop coming?" Robin asked quietly.

"Not well. The shop does not seem to have been here at all. Raven and I are separately looking for a witness that should know about the shop," Starfire answered quietly. "How are things in the Tower?"

"Not good. My tracking devices keep turning up weird places and I've completely exhausted my computer based resources," Robin answered as he took a seat in front of the main computer. "I did find something, though. It's low quality, but it's a recording of our last fight with Slade. I'll show it to you when you get back."

Robin turned off the communicator and looked up at the massive computer monitor. The movie had been nothing but static when he'd first found it and even after fully restoring it, it was still almost impossible to make anything out clearly. What Robin couldn't understand is why a camera would be affected so

negatively by Falchion's presence. It would practically take an EMP to mess with a recording so badly.

-

* * *

Raven rolled up her dress and stuffed it through her belt as she walked down the street. The place was twice as messed up as she remembered it. The few remaining street signs were either painted over with graffiti or shot full of holes almost beyond recognition. Some of the buildings were missing whole sections of their walls and only a handful had any intact windows, let alone a whole set. The streets looked as if someone had set off landmines.

Raven only saw a few people as she walked down the street; the occasional too curious adult or an overly confident teenager. The children were carefully hidden away in the safest part of the houses.

Raven was disgusted by these people. If things were this bad, why didn't they simply leave? Or call someone for help? Something was wrong here. This wasn't how people acted in a large American city. Everything spoke of open warfare of some kind; there had to be something keeping the people here.

Raven shoved that line of thought aside. There was no way that particular little boy was here. That child had been terrified of Raven and if things were this bad here, he'd be long gone.

"Starfire, let's head back," Raven said, activating her communicator. "I don't think he's here."

"But where do we look if not here?" Starfire asked as she moved the communicator in front of her face.

"Good point. Let's head back and work out our next move with Robin," Raven answered as she flew into the air.

Starfire joined her in the sky a few moments later and they headed for the Tower. Raven looked down and could quite easily see the division between the slums and the normal city. On one side there were street signs and windows and on the other there weren't. The line itself was no more than a bullet train bridge that, oddly, made a circle around the slums.

Raven pushed the bridge out of her mind; they had to be back before Falchion noticed they were missing, and Breakfast time was fast approaching.

"Why was that place so…damaged?" Starfire asked timidly. It was clear she wanted to help the people living there.

"Gang violence. Most of the people living there are probably ex-convicts or escaped convicts anyway," Raven said, though she knew that it wasn't true. The powerful negative aura hanging over the place couldn't have been caused by gang violence, and the people living in the slums were largely innocent immigrants that were victimized by a handful of ex-convicts, anyway.

"I do not think so. The place did not seem…right," Starfire said slowly, grasping for words. "It is like some kind of shadow has spread over it."

"I'll look into it, if it makes you feel better. The place did look far worse than it should after only one week," Raven said casually, hopefully dismissing the subject from Starfire's mind. "In the meantime, we're late for breakfast. Falchion might get suspicious."

Raven decided that the most difficult thing about being late when Falchion cooked, was that patient, hurt look he had when you _finally_ came in. He considered it an insult, no matter how much you apologized.

In fact Falchion's breakfasts were consistently too large but on the other hand they were as good as a professional chef could cook. He dominated the kitchen from five to seven every morning, ruling over it with an iron fist. You practically had to negotiate a treaty to get a glass of water and it was downright dangerous to get in his way while he cooked. Beast Boy was still recovering from his attempt to take some bread early. All of the Titans had noticed the bread, uncharacteristically placed on the counter, and most of them had realized it was bait. When Beast Boy came in the first thing he did was pick up the bread and take a big bite. He couldn't taste anything for nearly a day afterwards; the bread had been stuffed with jalapenos. Falchion made several kinds of bread every morning from home-baked whole-wheat loaves to kolaches to danishes. He also made four kinds of eggs: scrambled, fried, boiled, and tofu. He gave them prime cut sausages, ham, and half a dozen other forms of meat that were probably French. Aside form that, some of the most bizarre fruit salads appeared every morning along with a massive pot of fine herbal tea.

Needless to say, the first morning Falchion had been in the tower, the Titans had been amazed by the sheer quantity of food. Even now, after they'd had a few days to convince Falchion to stop making feasts at every meal, he still made more than enough. Unless Cyborg and Starfire each had more than their share, there were always leftovers that somehow mysteriously disappeared between breakfast and lunch.

Raven stepped through the sliding doors quietly and started for the tea like a bloodhound. She was reading as quickly as she could from the demonology book and trying hard not to look at Falchion.

She failed. One of Raven's eyes drifted away from the page and caught a glimpse of Falchion sitting at the table calmly sipping his tea. It wasn't what she'd expected to see; he was acting far too calm, too in control.

Starfire had used the distraction made by Raven to sneak in the other way and start eating. Falchion didn't seem to be paying any attention to them.

"So, why were both of you late?" Falchion asked casually. Raven was sweating now; could he know what they'd been doing, or did he merely suspect?

"Overslept," Raven said dully, turning both emotionless eyes on Falchion. "Sorry."

"Sorry for what? Last time I checked, breakfast was voluntary." Falchion said, raising an eyebrow and draping an arm over his chair so he faced Raven. He smirked ever so slightly.

"You just usually take it personally when someone's late to a meal that you cooked," Starfire answered quickly. She should have kept her mouth shut.

"Oh really? I'm sure you don't mind too _terribly_ much," Falchion said, turning towards the Tamaranian. "By the way, why were you late?" Starfire glanced about frantically for help. Cyborg and Beast Boy were nowhere in sight and Robin was sitting at the other end of the table, trapped in an awkward silence. Or maybe he was too busy eating a kolache.

"I…well," Starfire said, looking away. "I was making something?"

Raven and Robin winced simultaneously. That was one of the worst excuses she'd ever come up with, and being an alien she'd come up with some pretty bad ones.

"Oh, in that case it's fine," Falchion said, hopping up. "I'd like to see it, when it's finished." And with that, he causally strode out of the room.

"What do I do?" Starfire stammered, looking from Raven to Robin and back. "I have nothing to show him!"

"Calm down, Star. It's not that bad," Robin said quietly, standing up. "You can just tell him whatever you're making is personal."

"Well, he seems to be taking a firm hold," Raven said calmly, flipping the page in her book. "I didn't think he'd be so good at manipulating us."

Robin and Starfire looked at each other for a moment. It was true; Falchion had virtually taken over the tower in a few days. It was rather like having an adult standing there telling you what to do.

"I think I'd better show you the video I found before he comes back," Robin said as he headed for the computer.

The movie was pitiful, even with Robin's modifications. The part of it that wasn't pure static only showed Falchion's feet.

"All right, here it is. I'll slow it down," Robin said quickly, setting the movie to one thirty-second its normal speed. Even at that speed it was still difficult to see his feet No wonder he'd seemed to teleport; with speed like that his movements were impossible to follow with the naked eye.

"How is he moving that fast?" Starfire asked, torn between the concept of super speed and having a messed up video editor.

"Wait…" Robin said raising a hand. The screen turned to pure static for a moment, then back to the way it had been. "There, where the video skipped. I think that's where he paralyzed you, Raven."

"Then his powers are electrically based?" Raven asked quietly. That paralysis she'd felt certainly hadn't seemed electrical…it had been more like a pressure holding her still.

"I'm not sure, but it seems that way. We'll have to see what he does in a real fight first," Robin said as he turned off the monitor. "What did the two of you find in the slums?"

"Nothing, there weren't any leads," Raven said quietly.

"Oh, but the place was terrible! The buildings were so damaged and the people were so terrified…" Starfire blurted out.

"What? But I thought the slums were only…" Robin started to say, but Falchion strode into the room.

He walked to the couch and picked up his cloak, which had somehow managed to end up half stuffed into the couch. His eye twitched a few times when he saw Beast Boy's game station controller sitting on the couch next to his cloak, clear evidence that Beast Boy had been playing with his cloak again. He turned to leave and stopped when he noticed they were watching him. He looked from side to side nervously, "Is there something wrong?" Falchion asked, smiling sheepishly. "I didn't, eh, disturb you, somehow?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Actually, I have a few questions about some words," Raven said quickly, stepping forward and raising her demonology book. Falchion nodded and the two walked out of the room.

Robin, Starfire, and Raven all shared the same thought: how much had he heard?

-

* * *

Author's note: Well, another short one for you. I promise, I'll start answering questions in two chapters, and the next chapter is kind of about Beast Boy.

Character Talk

Me: Well that sucked!

Raven: Am I an idiot or something? I mean, come on, I'm not stupid enough to miss the obvious signs in the slums!

Beast Boy: Where am I? I think I'm experiencing sensory deprivation for lack of a speaking part…

Falchion: Hey, my part's not that big either! It's mostly been Raven so far. Complain to her for hogging the lines!

Raven: I didn't hog them! The author forced me to take them!

Vronse: Hey! Guess what!

Robin: What?

Vronse: I haven't' even been mentioned yet! Don't you think that's great? The readers must really hate the author by now for ignoring me! Ha He HA!HA!HA!

Falchion: No! The evil laughter! The terrible shrieking pain! Argh!

Cyborg: Hey, guys, where'd that guy Glasses go off to?

Me: Next chapter, next chapter, next chapter! Sheesh, get off my case! I'm not going to just stop or something! I want to finish this!

Falchion: (Over the hideously evil laughter) Well, that's about it…next episode, Deception! Oh, wait, they already used that…

Me: It isn't an anime anyway! And besides, the next _chapter_ is called Machinations.

**Character Pole!**

**Who should I use more in the future? Your vote might actually help!**

**Falchion,**

**Vronse or**

**Glasses?**

Please include a vote in your review (not that I expect many of my readers to actually read the author's notes, but hey, it's worth a shot!).


	3. Machinations

Honor Born, Honor Bound

Chapter three: Machinations

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I don't even have a share in Warner Brother's or DC Comic's stock, so don't sue me if something shows up here that unintentionally matches the comics, or somebody else's ideas. Also, the whole real scenario here is mine, as well as all the new characters I bring in.

Author's note: Alright, this is it. Diabolical plots and inhuman monsters, for those of you that like that kind of thing, and an incredibly convoluted plot. Just try to figure out my characters!

-

* * *

It was there.

Beast Boy stared in awe at the one, collectors-only video, Night of the Living Terrors XVII, as it stood there, gleaming, on the video rack.

Best Boy picked up the video and headed for the counter. This movie, complete with all the extras, gore, and general fear was by far the most terrifying horror movie ever made. Beast Boy stopped by the counter, remembering Raven's reaction to the last really scary movie he'd played at the tower. That night had been so much more frightening than the movie…

Beast Boy whipped out his rental card and slammed the video down on the counter, snaggletooth glinting.

"Night of the Living Terrors XVII!" someone said from the line next to Beast Boy. "Nice!"

Beast Boy looked up at the young, six foot, white haired man standing next to him. He was smiling widely and holding the exact same movie as Beast Boy. Beast Boy gave a weak smile, especially when you considered the wide grin on the strange man's face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, we only have one copy of that," the register worker said sadly. "It's really popular."

"What! No way am I giving that to him!" Beast Boy and the strange man said at the same time. "Huh?"

"Stop copying me!" the stranger said angrily.

"No way! You're the one copying me! And the tape's mine!" Beast Boy said, pointing his finger in the stranger's face.

"Uh, excuse me, but couldn't you share it?" the register worker offered helpfully. She got off her shift in five minutes, so getting this over with quickly was in her best interests. On the other hand, this just might become a very amusing conversation.

"With **_him_**?" they both yelled at once, pointing at each other. "He's a freak!"

"I'm not a freak! You're the one with green skin!" the stranger said angrily, jabbing a finger at Beast Boy. His left eyebrow twitched rapidly.

"Yeah, but at least I'm not wearing sun glasses, inside, at _night_!" Beast Boy shot back, stabbing a finger at the stranger's jet-black sunglasses.

"Hey, man, don't insult the shades. They match my bike," the stranger said, pulling up to his full height and folding his arms.

"Yeah, well…" Beast Boy said as the word 'bike' sunk in. "You got a moped?"

"No way, I've got something _way_ better. Actually, come to think of it, I spent so much money suping it up that I didn't have enough for the electrical bill!" the stranger said, tapping his jaw.

"Then why do you want the video?" Beast Boy asked incredulously, staring at the weird man.

"You kidding? Anyways, how about we make a deal?" the stranger said, turning back to Beast Boy. "I'll let you have the movie if you let me watch it at your place."

"Huh?" Beast Boy thought of Robin, yelling at him for letting a civilian into the tower. "Dude, it's not worth the pain."

"Okay, how about I give you a ride on my bike? How's that?" the stranger said, smiling.

"Depends on your bike," Beast Boy said carefully.

-

* * *

"What's this?" Falchion said coldly, looking at the brightly colored package in his lap.

"It's a little present from me," Glasses said, smiling. "Since I didn't know when to celebrate your birthday."

"Birthday?" Falchion asked questioningly, looking at his companion. "Why would I want to celebrate such a thing?"

There was a confused silence inside the car as the street lights flashed past. Glasses stared at his friend, and reminded himself that Falchion was still new on Earth, despite all his knowledge of the planet. He could get by with a bit of acting here or there, but they'd both agreed that all facades should be set aside when it was just the two of them.

"Well, regardless, it's a gift," Glasses said quietly, uncrossing his legs and shutting his eyes.

Falchion popped the box open, shredding the wrapping paper, with no interest.

"Hm. Interesting," Falchion said, looking at the small mound of red stones in the box. "Ba'alzebub energy crystals."

"Thought you'd like them. Anyway, over the past few weeks these crystals have come onto the Black Market and generally sell for top dollar," Glasses said roguishly. "I got these by taking care of some devil worshipers and demons."

"I'm pleased to see your investigations are making headway. Destroy these as soon as you can," Falchion said, closing the box and setting it on the seat next to him. "In the meantime, feel free to kill anyone that has used one of these. Their souls have all been destroyed by now. Now to business, it seems you failed on one of your assignments."

"Eh? Me? Don't be ridiculous. I never fail my assignments," Glasses said, mock offended.

"It was the evidence destruction. One of the videos had some of me on it," Falchion said coldly, leaning forward. "Next time destroy them. I don't care if they appeared to be just static, either. The Titans have some of the most advanced video analysis technology on this planet."

"Alright, I got it. Now, what are we going to do about the demon takeover in the slums?" Glasses said irritably, scratching the back of his head. "It's getting damn near impossible to even go into the area."

"Leave it. Unless the Titans intervene, that sector is lost, and the Titans are hardly ready for such an enemy," Falchion said waving a hand and shaking his head firmly. "It's too much to expect from them now." It was unfortunate that he couldn't deal with the problem himself, but thanks to the Ba'alzebub stationed on earth, Falchion couldn't intervene without backup.

"Hey, I know you've got some plan, but, hey, the place is literally going to hell! Ever since you left the demons have run rampant every night!" Glasses complained loudly, tipping up his glasses.

"I know. There's nothing I can do now, so just concentrate on keeping the demons from spreading outside the circle and find out who built that bridge," Falchion said calmly as he opened the car door.

"What, leaving so soon?" Glasses said sarcastically, looking over his sunglasses at Falchion.

"I have to be back in time to cook dinner for the Titans," Falchion answered indifferently. Glasses's jaw dropped and his glasses nearly slid off his face as he struggled against laughter.

With a single, smooth jump Falchion left the moving car and landed easily on the sidewalk, sliding on his feet without even flinching. He needed to be back to cook dinner for the Titans, but there was no rush. There were a few things to check up on, anyway.

-

* * *

Beast Boy screamed in terror as the monstrous bike shot down the road at easily two hundred miles per hour. The stranger laughed like a madman as they shot through the heart of the city, passing cars and people alike as he tore down one, lane side streets and under low bridges. The bike seemed like it wouldn't ever stop. Which explains why Beast Boy didn't stay on when it skidded to a halt.

One moment, the bike was under him; the next, he was sailing though air over open water. Beast Boy yelped as he splashed into the bay and surged back to the surface indignantly.

"Hey, sorry!" the stranger said, smiling. "I forgot the bay was up here!"

"Dude! How do you forget something that important?" Beast Boy said as he climbed out of the water. "Sheesh, what if it'd been a wall?"

"Hey, at least I didn't crash into that dumpster back there! Come on, cut me some slack here!" the stranger said, laughing. "This thing just begs to go fast!"

"I know what you mean! This bike reminds me of the T-Car!" Beast Boy said tapping the bike. "It's got that same ludicrous speed!"

"Hey, come on! You can't say you didn't enjoy that?" the stranger said happily, leaning back. "Come on, let's head over to your place. I can't wait to see that movie!"

"No way! I'm not riding that thing again, it'll kill me!" Beast Boy cried, looking at the huge bike. "Can't we just walk?"

"Walk? That's crazy! Come on, let's go. How do we get to your place?" the stranger said humorously, revving up his bike. Beast Boy looked at the huge machine; it made Robin's bike look like a toy. The thing was easily fourteen feet long and nearly as tall as Beast Boy. It was four feet thick, jet-black and rumbling ten times louder than the T-car. It had four red headlights, strategically placed to look quite a bit like eyes, and a single white light above them. Beast Boy wasn't sure, but he thought that should mean something to him.

"I promise I won't go above seventy, okay?" the stranger groaned, obviously making a serious sacrifice. Beast Boy clearly saw that it was entirely against his whole philosophy; this was one of those guys that could never get anywhere fast enough.

"Okay, I'll tell you where to stop. Just drive along the bay," Beast Boy said, climbing onto the back of the bike and clinging to it. To his mild surprise, the stranger kept his word; the bike never went above seventy. It never went below it, either.

"There, there!" Beast Boy yelled, pointing at an empty loading dock and nearly went into the bay again as the bike skidded to a halt.

"Here? It's just a cargo platform!" the stranger said incredulously, looking around.

"It's supposed to," Beast Boy said, climbing off the bike and activating the switch hidden in one of the bay rails. The whole platform tipped down into the hidden tunnel. Beat Boy had to admit; it looked pretty good now that it was finished. The T-car's access ramp slanted down sharply into a hidden tunnel built to perfectly accommodate Cyborg's pride and joy.

"Talk about a ramp! I could jump an office building with that!" the stranger said wildly, grinning like a madman.

"Come on, my place is at the other end," Beast Boy said, climbing onto the bike. If the guy didn't know who he was by now, there was no point telling him.

"O-kay do-kay!" the stranger said, smirking happily as he said it. Beast Boy nearly gagged, though he wasn't sure whether it was because of the stranger's retro saying, or the sudden lunge forward the bike made. He decided it was the later when the bike jolted to a halt just outside of the tower, nearly throwing him off again.

"Dude, you've gotta stop doing that!" Beast Boy said unsteadily as he fought to get his balance.

"Well?" the stranger said, turning around so he could look at Beast Boy.

"You going to welcome me in or not?" the stranger said, smiling. "It's not polite to just drive into someone else's garage."

"Un, yeah, sure, go on in, uh…" Beast Boy said, muddled. Everything seemed darker, somehow. He looked up at the lights, but they didn't seem to be all that dim.

"Oh, right, I didn't tell you my name," the stranger said, smiling as he stepped into the tower, leaving a disoriented Beast Boy standing next to his bike.

"Yeah, you never did," Beast Boy said quietly. His voice seemed to get lost in the shadows. Darkness seemed to be creeping towards him like a mass of insects shifting just out of his sight. He could only just make out the stranger's silhouette in the doorway through the writhing shadows.

"I'm Vronse," Vronse said, tipping down his glasses. "Vronse Ba'alzebub."

His eyes glowed the color of pure blood.

-

* * *

Raven looked up slowly from the demonology book. Someone had the television up loud enough for her to hear it in her room. It was probably Beast Boy, judging from the sound effects. He was obsessed with horror flicks, despite the nightmares they gave him.

Raven considered for a moment looking for one of the other Titans, but she knew full well that Robin and Starfire were "out" and that Cyborg had gone on his monthly visit to his mother's grave. Falchion had left, claiming they were low on supplies, at least three hours ago. Raven seriously doubted that. That left only Beast Boy, who probably thought she didn't care if she wanted to watch the movie with him or not. Actually, to Raven's mild amusement, the idea seemed rather appealing. It wasn't often she actually wanted to be with Beast Boy.

Raven stood up slowly, and set her book down on the table next to her. She slid her door open with her powers without sparing a thought about it, and then found that she had to concentrate to walk down the hall, instead of floating. If she didn't concentrate, she'd float all the time, and then she'd get physically weak. No matter what her powers were, physical strength and agility would always be a good thing to have in a fight.

The main room's door opened smoothly and Raven paused; something smelt wrong. It smelled, Raven decided, like freezer burn. She shrugged and walked towards the couch. Just as she had expected, Beast Boy was watching a horror flick, with the volume turned up far too high.

Raven circled around the couch and stared at the changeling. His face was totally blank. There wasn't any recognition for either the television or Raven. All Raven saw in his eyes was dull surprise. He seemed completely catatonic.

"Beast Boy?" Raven asked, worried. She reached out a hand to his forehead and drew back, shuddering. All that was in his mind was ice and snow in an endless frozen expanse stretching away forever.

"Hello, Fiona," A low, mocking voice said. Raven whirled around. But there was no one there.

"Don't bother looking for me, I can't show myself to you. But I think the message is clear. Ask that foolish Noble to explain it, if I don't kill him first," Vronse said calmly as he shifted, always just out of Raven's sight.

"What do you mean? What'd you do to Beast Boy?" Raven snarled, power flaring. The movie flipped off suddenly, startling her; the screen cracked instantly.

"My, my, touchy, are we? I suppose you get it from father," Vronse said calmly. Raven wasn't looking for him anymore, even though he was only a few feet behind her. But at the word father, things started to click into place.

"Demon," Raven spat, clenching her fists. "How dare you attack my friend!"

"All I did to him was look into his eyes. It's his own fault for falling prey to such a simple manipulation charm," Vronse said, cocking his head to one side. He grinned widely, showing his extremely sharp teeth. "You know, I can see why that Noble would have an interest in you. You're powerful, but not enough to be a threat. Sure you're smart, but you don't know enough to make a difference. You're beautiful, but you seem to try to hide that beauty."

"Shut up," Raven said angrily. She turned back to Beast Boy and tried to work his mind out of its catatonic state.

"Forget it. He's part of my Tetra now," Vronse whispered cruelly. "The little brat is mine."

The main door slid open.

"I thought I smelled something rotten," Falchion said smugly as he stepped into the room. He was wearing an odd, long black jacket, a white shirt with an immense red jewel on it, a pair of baggy black pants and sturdy black boots. He had a pair of black gloves that were locked onto his jacket with a pair of silver bracelets. Raven couldn't help but notice that his hair was allowed to flow completely free; he looked oddly appealing that way, like this was how he should always look.

"The Noble arrives, late as usual. One can hardly expect better from an inferior creature like you," Vronse said, smirking maniacally. "Shall we begin?"

Raven stared at Falchion, dumbfounded, as the word "noble" finally sunk into her mind, pulling up a single, terrifying memory. Falchion's face slowly drained of all true emotion and was replaced with cold, inhuman spite. The eyes that looked out of his perfect face were so innately inhuman that it dawned on her that it had been stupid to have ever thought of him as human.

Raven cursed under her breath.

-

* * *

Author's note: he he. If you haven't submitted a review yet, this is the time. Next chapter will remove any chance for conjectures, not to mention it'll contain one of my best fight scenes. Just wait and see what I do, this plot has one major twist!

Character Talk

**Me**: All right! Finally, it's proceeding as planned…Mwahahahahah!

**Raven**: And they say _I'm_ creepy!

**Vronse**: Mwahahaha! Finally, my evil plans are working!

**Beast Boy**: (drools)

**Robin**: I've been…excluded!

**Starfire:** I seem to have not received a script…

**Cyborg:** Hey, man, I've got an excuse for leaving the tower unprotected.

**Raven:** I hate to admit it, but I'm actually starting to get interested in the plot. What is Falchion thinking?

**Falchion:** I'm not.

**Raven:** Oh.

**Me:** Oh, come on! You're just going to accept that after finding out about his horrible machinations?

**Raven:** They don't seem that horrible yet.

**Vronse**: While those inferior creatures argue about who's more complex, I'll just tell you guys the name of the next episode…now where'd he put those notes?

**Me:** Hey! Stay out of my bag! And this isn't an...

**Everyone but me and Falchion:** We know!

**Falchion**: next episode, fabulous duel to the death! May the best demon win!

**Me**: Wrong! The next chapter is just called Duel!


	4. Duel

Honor Born, Honor Bound

Chapter four: Duel

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I don't even have a share in Warner Brother's or DC Comic's stock, so don't sue me if something shows up here that unintentionally matches the comics, or somebody else's ideas. Also, the whole real scenario here is mine, as well as all the new characters I bring in.

Author's note: Look at the title and read. Then review.

-

* * *

Raven glared at the noble. Yes, that was what Falchion was; she could feel power coming off him in waves now, and that crystal wasn't on his shirt, it was in his chest! Raven glared at the faintly glowing red gem in Falchion's chest, wondering if there was any chance of survival. After all, his race had been known to end worlds.

"You've made your last mistake, Vronse. This is my territory; didn't you think I'd be prepared for such an attack?" Falchion said, his voice sounded inhuman, like a cold wind rustling through millions of cherry blossoms.

"Oh? What have you done, then? I've come this far, to the center of your precious wards thanks to that child," Vronse said calmly, smirking. "And I haven't met anything worth mentioning yet."

"Oh, really?" Falchion said, allowing a slight twitch of amusement to touch the corner of his mouth. "Then have you met Wren?"

"Wren?" Vronse asked, narrowing his eyes.

Raven heard Vronse cry out behind her, and turned around in time to see a massive tail sliding soundlessly through the ceiling without so much as a sound. She got a glimpse of a black boot before the ceiling shifted like water to let the creature through.

"Raven, take care of Beast Boy. As soon as Vronse is outside the tower, he'll recover," Falchion said, turning to leave, smirking. "Don't wait up."

"Wait! Whose side are you…" Raven shouted, turning back to him, but it was too late; the doorway was empty, with only a gust of air to show Falchion had ever been there.

Raven turned to the comatose changeling lying on the couch. She felt completely helpless a questions surged to the surface of her mind, drowning out all other thoughts. Was Falchion a traitor, a spy, or something else? Who was Vronse, really, and how could a demon like him just appear on earth, let alone Falchion, a noble that should have died with his race over four thousand years ago?

Raven slumped down on the couch to wait, whether for Beast Boy to wake up or Falchion to return, she didn't know.

Somehow, with all the questions and confusion, calling the others slipped her mind.

-

* * *

Falchion arrived on the roof in time to see Vronse wrestling Wren off him with the demonic strength that had made him famous in the Netherworld.

"What's the matter, my friend giving you trouble?" Falchion said coolly, leaning against the stairwell. Vronse rammed his fist into Wren's head and then sending the massive creature whistling toward the roof with a well-placed kick. Falchion shifted to catch it, moving with a speed and grace that would have stunned the Flash and surprised Batman. The dragon shrank as it fell so that it was only the size of a large cat when Falchion caught it.

"Hardly! That thing couldn't beat me in a thousand years!" Vronse said smugly, dusting off his shoulders.

"He'll be about the size of a planet in a thousand years, and not a bit slower because of it," Falchion said, stroking the dragon gently. "On top of that, he's the future Nether Dragon. I seriously doubt you can beat the Keeper of Hell."

"Enough useless jabbering. Seeing as how you sicced your dragon on me, I'm demanding a duel. Now," Vronse said, cracking his knuckles. Falchion gently tossed Wren into the air, where the small dragon hovered anxiously.

"It's fine, Wren. Go stay with Raven," Falchion said coldly, letting all emotion drain from him. No distractions could be allowed in a duel of this level, and the dragon would doubtlessly be an indirect target for Vronse during the duel.

"Nice! You know I can't attack Raven, so you're protecting the dragon and that green kid all at once, right? I see you really were prepared for me!" Vronse said as the dragon flew through the roof, leaving a ripple in reality where it had bent matter. "It won't change a thing. Hal Suen Vercecutra auun. Gein vorushein, Xaen Rah?"

"Coru meletsi shuramei," Falchion said, pulling a small brown object from the back of his jacket.

Vronse gave a single chuckle as a similar black object to Falchion's appeared in his hand.

The roof of Titans Tower nearly caved in with the force Falchion used to launch himself towards Vronse. The object in his hand came to life and a long, powerful blade of energy leapt forth from it in perfect time with Falchion's diagonal slash. Vronse blocked the attack with a similar blade generated by his black object, but the force of Falchion's attack sent him hurtling away regardless.

"Gaukka Zuratose Zhun!" Falchion yelled, bringing around his left hand to face Vronse as he positioned his right hand for the next attack. Flame leapt forward in a wave, easily hot enough to melt solid steel. Vronse split the attack with a blast of frozen energy, similarly delivered from his left hand, and swept forward with his sword ready. Falchion was one step ahead; rather than letting Vronse get close enough to use his impressive strength, Falchion shot a blade of pure energy toward his enemy by swinging his sword. Vronse swatted it aside, leaving himself open for a split second.

Falchion's knee found Vronse's face in that moment, and the red-eyed demon hurtled part way through the roof. Falchion launched four more of his long range blade attacks and an impressive wave of flame into the hole he'd made in the roof before Vronse shot out of the side of the tower, bleeding from under his left eye. Falchion couldn't help but smirk; his wards had held up to such a level of attack without giving an inch.

Vronse didn't waste any time; several hundred razor sharp ice spikes shot towards Falchion with deadly precision. The spikes were far too fast for Falchion to melt with the fire chant. Falchion was only just fast enough to dodge them in midair, but it left him horribly exposed. Vronse sent an energy blade quite similar to Falchion's straight at him. It was almost enough to disarm the Noble.

Falchion had no choice but to use a second tier attack. The blade of Falchion's sword shifted and spread into an orb of crackling white energy, blocking all of Vronse's attacks at once.

"Well, that's new," Vronse chuckled as he launched a wave of vicious energy blades. Falchion batted them aside, his sword in its proper shape again, and tried to judge just how much power he could risk using

Vronse had no idea that Falchion knew more than the second tier attacks; in fact, he thought that he still had the advantage when he launched another wave of ice spikes and renewed his energy barrage.

"Banryuha," Falchion said, his voice booming through the air with all the power of a sky dragon. As Vronse's attacks reached him, Falchion's sword pulled them together into a tight bundle of frozen crystal and raw energy. Falchion gritted his teeth as he put a good forty percent of his power into taking the attack for himself, infusing it with a massive energy wave and sending it back to its master. Normally, it shouldn't have even come close to hitting Vronse because the attack was so slow.

But Vronse was caught completely off guard. He hardly had time to realize just what Falchion had done before the orb was on him. He raised his sword to ward it off, and the blade shattered into millions of tiny wisps of energy that were sucked into the orb.

"No!" Vronse cried, forced to catch the orb with his hands, he was trying to force it back. "I won't be beaten so easily! You'll see, Noble! I'll be back! The same trick won't work twice!"

The orb detonated, sending Vronse clear across the bay. Falchion was tempted to go after him, but he hesitated. There was far too much water to be safe with an ice wielder nearby. No; besides it was not necessary to go after him. As he had just said, he intended to return, and Falchion intended to have the Titans in fighting shape when he did. In the meantime, renewing his wards was at the top of his list.

-

* * *

Raven stared at the small dragon as it slid through the ceiling and alighted on the end of the couch. It had eyes as green, as inhuman, as Falchion's. Raven shivered as it sat there, watching her.

She was so preoccupied with the odd, gold and red dragon that she didn't even notice that Beast Boy was shivering until she heard his teeth chattering.

"Beast Boy?" Raven asked, taking hold of his arm gently. He was awake but he still felt like he'd been sitting in a freezer.

"R ..R .Raven?" Beast Boy chattered, shaking uncontrollably. "What h-happened?"

"I'm not sure, but…," Raven said, then she stopped. Then dragon had hopped onto the couch next to Beast Boy and put a clawed foreleg on his thigh, not unlike a dog. Beast Boy gave a sigh of gratitude as warmth flowed into him.

"I don't know what this little guy is, but man am I glad he's so warm!" Beast Boy exclaimed, the cold already leaving him. The dragon puffed a little ring of scentless white smoke and emitted a low grumble, not unlike a cat purring. Raven stared at it, remembering just how huge it could become if it wanted. It was easily large enough to eat Beast Boy with no problem.

The entire tower shook several times. It had felt like a series of extremely powerful earthquakes, but Raven knew better. The hairs on her neck stood on end from the energy she felt crackling into the roof above them. If it broke through, there was no chance of living through it. Raven hastily said her chant and put a layer of black energy up to support the ceiling, just in case.

The attacks broke off before her shield was fully in place, but that unsettling energy still crackled somewhere above her, sending wave after wave of ambient energy coursing over the tower. Raven's entire body was tingling uncomfortably from it.

Less than a minute later the attacks stopped, leaving Raven almost numb. Beast Boy was staring at the ceiling and the dragon was wiping its tail in worry, its huge, pointed ears flattened in passive anger.

"Are you alright, Beast Boy?" Raven asked after a moment. He looked fine, actually; the cold had completely left him.

"Yeah, I think so. But what the heck just happened? I mean, everything was shaking!" Beast Boy answered, pointing around the room. "And what happened to the TV?"

"That was me, actually," Raven said as sheepishly as she could without losing her monotone.

The communicator on Beast Boy's belt beeped loudly and he reflexively answered it.

"What's happening at the tower? The entire city was shaking!" Robin said angrily. It looked like Starfire was carrying him back to the tower.

"I'll tell you when you get here," Raven said, shoving Beast Boy aside. She couldn't imagine why she hadn't thought of calling Robin earlier.

"Fine, but you better call Cyborg too," Robin said irritably before he turned off his communicator. Raven punched in the combination for Cyborg before Beast Boy could object. They both knew he was probably busy.

"Yo! What just happened?" Cyborg asked as soon as the communicator connected. "My sensors said that shaking was coming from the tower, but I was in Metropolis when it started!"

" Just come back as quickly as you can," Raven said quietly. "I'll explain when we're all here." Raven shuddered. If people were feeling the effects of that energy battle in Metropolis, the Justice League would probably get involved, and things could get out of hand. The league was powerful, but they had a tendency to act quickly in delicate matters. Still, she couldn't deny that there was a Demon Noble living in Titans Tower, and as such, he was a threat to the entire planet.

The dragon came over and climbed into Raven's lap, purring approvingly. She stared at the creature for moment, and decided against throwing it off. It had helped get rid of Vronse, after all.

Robin and Starfire rushed into the room several minutes later to find Beast Boy pacing and mumbling irritably to himself about how Raven was always so secretive. Raven was holding the dragon lightly, oblivious to everyone as she tried to sort out her feelings for Falchion. It was obvious to her now that he'd manipulated her every step of the way; yet at the same time, nothing he'd done had been malicious.

"What happened?" Robin demanded, rushing up to Raven.

"Dude, don't even try! She's totally zoned out!" Beast Boy said irritably, flailing his arms.

"Please, friend, what has happened? The roof has been nearly reduced to rubble!" Starfire asked innocently.

"Falchion," Raven said calmly, looking up.

"Oh? Did someone say my name?" Falchion said coolly, sticking his head around the corner of the hallway.

Raven jumped up, completely forgetting about the dragon. It didn't really matter; the creature was already flying towards its master.

"Easy, those claws are sharp," Falchion said casually as the dragon latched onto his arm lovingly.

"Who are you?" Raven yelled suddenly. The entire Tower shook for a moment as her energy ran partially wild.

"That's hardly the tone you should take with someone that just saved your life," Falchion said with a casual smirk, setting his head to one side.

"He said you were a noble," Raven said angrily, only dimly aware that her friends were watching. "You shouldn't exist."

"Really? You must have done rather more reading than I thought," Falchion said sarcastically. "But the fact is, I do exist, so I guess that means the book was wrong. So then, how can you trust anything else you read out of it?"

"How can I trust _you_?" Raven hissed through gritted teeth.

"I guess you'll just have to think about that for yourself," Falchion said calmly, closing one eye.

"Are you working for Trigon?" Raven said bluntly, despite all she'd been taught about speaking a demons name. Falchion stared at her blankly for a moment before he started quaking with surpassed laughter. He wiped a tear away from his left eye and sighed.

"I'm sorry, I know it's a serious question," Falchion said when he saw the hate Raven was directing at him, but it was still hard not to smile. "It's just that the idea of working for someone so much _weaker_ than myself is just so ridiculous!"

"Weaker…?" Raven asked, all anger forgotten; the idea of there being someone stronger than her father was something she'd never considered.

"Really, how strong did you think he could be alongside a Noble? He's only the Eighth strongest demon, after all," Falchion said, tossing Wren onto his shoulder. "In any case, I really don't have time for a long discussion right now; I need to renew the wards and set up a few new ones so Vronse doesn't get another shot at the tower."

And with that, Falchion was gone, far more quickly than any of the Titans could see. Raven stared after him for a moment, suppressing her emotions. It didn't work, really; her right eye was twitching uncontrollably.

-

* * *

Author's Note: Wow, that Falchion sure is good at getting out of things, huh? In any case, if you're reading this, REVIEW NOW! Next chapter will be up eventually, just as soon as I decide how much I want you to know; can't tell you everything about Falchion now, right? That wouldn't leave anything for the next Fic! Oh yes, translations of the old tongue used in this chapter are below.

Hal Suen Vercecutra auun, Xaen Rah – I challenge you to a death duel. Do you accept, Noble?

Coru meletsi shuramei – I accept this duel(not a duel to the death, notice. Falchion escaped the responsibility of killing Vronse)

Character Talk

Me: Slitherer outererer!

Falchion: A whatsit?

Raven: He means you! How do you do it? Every time I think I'm going to get some answers out of you, _poof_, you vanish!

Vronse: Quit complaining! At least you don't have to fight him!

Me: He won't tell me this, he fights too rough, he's evil…sheesh, all I ever hear from you people are complaints!

Beast Boy: Dude! You turned me into a zombie and made me stupid! Where do you get this stuff, Friday night specials?

Me: No. What makes you think that? I don't even watch those specials. Really.

Robin: I don't care. At least I'll have some lines in the next chapter.

Me: Really? Have you read the script yet?

Cyborg: Do you have some personal problem with using us in your story or something?

Me: Not really, I just like Raven better. And Beast Boy was the only one stupid enough for Vronse to manipulate, and Falchion's just better than you.

Falchion: I'm glad we got that cleared up. Anyway, next episode, Terror Door! The truth may finally be revealed! (Sure it will…)

Me: Stupid! I only use one-word chapter titles! And besides, this is a fan fiction, so giving an episode preview is meaningless!

Vronse: So what is it, then? Recuperation?

Me: Stop guessing, it makes you sound pitiful. The next _chapter_ is just called Steps.


	5. Steps

Honor Born, Honor Bound

Chapter five: Steps

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I don't even have a share in Warner Brother's or DC Comic's stock, so don't sue me if something shows up here that unintentionally matches the comics, or somebody else's ideas. Also, the whole real scenario here is mine, as well as all the new characters I bring in.

Author's Note: Sorry this one's so short, but think of it kind of like the conclusion paragraph in an essay. I'm just using it to sum up this fic.

Oh yes, sorry for changing the chapter title; I decided to postpone that part of the fic.

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Raven woke up with a start.

Everything seemed normal at first; she was in her room, the door was locked and she could hear Beast Boy sleep walking in the hallway. For a moment she didn't remember anything about Falchion.

"Awake at last," an airy, quiet voice said next to Raven. She sat up abruptly and stared at Falchion.

He looked awful. His face had sunken places in it and his eyes were bloodshot; the immense life-force Raven had sensed in him the night before was completely gone now; whether because he'd used it or because he was hiding it, Raven didn't know.

"Why are you in my room?" Raven asked coldly, shoving her concerns aside as everything she'd learned last night rushed back into her head, along with dozens of questions.

"Any more dreams about a green-eyed horror and your father's eyes?" Falchion asked, forcing a smile. It was painful to see it; there was no mirth in it at all, nor any spite. He was strictly smiling to show he was pleased with her.

"Why? I know whom they belong to already," Raven said, levitating out of bed and pulling her cloak off the bed with her.

"So harsh so early in the morning," Falchion said, closing his eyes. "Perhaps I should come back later, when I have the energy to deal with cynicism."

"Why are you in my room at all?" Raven asked, glaring at him. "You're a demon Noble. What could I possibly mean to you?"

"More than I'd have thought four months ago, I assure you," Falchion said, opening his eyes again. Raven shivered; they still had that inhuman life in them, no matter how exhausted his body looked. "You're more important than either of us really give you credit for, though honestly I'm more interested in eliminating Vronse than anything else."

"You still didn't tell me why you were in my room," Raven said, pointing at him irritably. She was hovering across from him cross-legged with his eyes boring into her; she couldn't think straight when he looked at her like that.

"I was waiting for you to wake up," Falchion said, shrugging. "I don't really need a reason."

Raven stared at him for a moment and lowered her hand. It didn't seem like him; he usually did his best to get out of any situation concerning Raven.

"Alright, what were you really doing?" Raven asked, leaning forward. Falchion sighed and looked at the ceiling.

"I was searching for your weaknesses," Falchion said calmly. "Robin and the others were easier because they're so open with their powers, but you hold back nearly all of it."

"What are you talking about?" Raven asked, suppressing her fear; if he could really see her full power, and its true nature, then he doubtlessly knew exactly what her father wanted with her.

"I've isolated three main problems with you. First, your agility. Someone with your build and power should be able to outmaneuver someone like Robin with no problem, yet he could probably kill you because your body doesn't move fast enough," Falchion said, crossing his legs and putting his arms on the back of the chair he was sitting in, which should have been in Robin's room. "Your second main problem is your ability. You have an enormous power reserve, yet you fail to use more than five percent of it. Also, you tap it far too slowly; you should be able to invoke the chant in under a second."

"I have to keep my emotions in check or my powers run wild," Raven said, looking away. "It's much harder to concentrate while you're suppressing your feelings."

"Which brings us to weakness number three: you're frightened of your own power," Falchion said calmly, sitting forward and looking hard at Raven. "You hold back, you slow down, you consider ways to get around using power before doing anything in combat. It reflects well on your strategic abilities, but not on your battle experience."

"I…" Raven stopped. There was no point denying it; this was the exact truth. Her greatest fear was losing herself in her own power and becoming something utterly shrouded in darkness. She knew that this fear was slowing her down, yet it certainly wasn't unfounded. She'd nearly attacked Beast Boy for annoying her when her emotions were unbalanced.

"I intend to teach you to properly use your powers. All of them," Falchion said, turning away from Raven. "The Demonology book and a pot of herbal tea are on the counter. I'll see you at ten sharp for your first real lesson."

"Hold on, what about last night? Don't you think the other Titans are going to have questions?" Raven said hurriedly. Falchion had nearly reached her door.

"Yes, of course. I took care of the notice from the Justice League last night and Robin is the only one that needs to know anything definite. I'm sure you can find something inventive to tell him. You've been hiding the truth from your friends since you joined the Titans, after all," Falchion answered over his shoulder. "Now, I really do need to get some sleep."

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Author's Note: That's it, this section is done. I'll have another story in the Demon Chronicles ready in no time, though, so don't worry. Falchion and Raven are far from finished and Vronse is destined for an incredible comeback. Can't say when the next story will be ready exactly; maybe if somebody asks in your reviews I'll tell you (hint, hint).

Character Talk

Falchion: Whoo hoo!

Me: What are you so happy about?

Falchion: I got Raven all to myself for that last scene!

Raven: Huh? What do you mean, all to yourself?

Vronse: He's a demon. Think about it.

Faclhion: This is why I hate Christian stereotyping – Not all demons are lustful and violent!

Robin: So you're saying that you aren't violent?

Cyborg: Man, what're you trying to pull?

Beast Boy: Dude! When do I get another part? I think I picked up some chicks on that last one.

Me: What in the he are you talking about? Excuse my French.

Falchion: Tu Parle Francais?

Me: Did I just write that, or not?

Falchion: Point taken.

Glasses: Hey hey, what am I doing next?

Me: Dying.

Glasses:…I'll pretend I didn't hear that.

Me: He he, nah I'm just messing with you. You aren't getting killed off.

Vronse: Unless I have something to do with it.

Lumia: I'm coming for you all.

Me: Sheez! What are you, an insomniac? Who comes into my room at two in the morning and says 'I'm coming for you all'?

Lumia: I didn't just say it, I meant it. My debut is in the next installment.

Me: No kidding!

Falchion: Next fabulous season, Changing! Lumia isn't in here much.

Me: Somebody stop him! Stop telling them the plot! Lumia is only in the next one for five seconds! The one after that has plenty of her, though. I mean, it's named after her!

Lumia: Wow, you're really naming a story after me? That's the nicest thing… (moves to kiss me)

Me: Ah! The kiss of Death! Run for your lives!

_**(Unanimous agreement)**_

**To the readers:**

**Ahem. Would Iris Loveright and Faithe-Catherine please submit your email addresses? You seem to have placed unanswerable reviews in the last chapter's review database, so if you really want me to answer your questions, you'd better send an email address. This goes for the rest of you: I will not respond to your reviews in my chapters! You must give me a means to contact you! Thank you.**

**Note: I'm using the next person that submits a review and no email in my character talk! Heads will roll(not mine)!**

** Faithe-Catherine is already on my list.  
**


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